Did You Know

In a world of unlimited communication possibilities, our weekly DID YOU KNOW provides industry insight and in a quick, easy to read format.

Bug Bounty Hunters

"Jabba's put a price on your head so large every bounty hunter in the galaxy will be looking for you." ―Greedo to Han Solo, Star Wars

Bounty Hunter, the name alone instills intrigue and excitement. A "seeker of rewards," hired to relentlessly pursue a target until completion and compensated upon successful completion. If you have solid computer skills, enjoy solving complex puzzles and a high degree of persistence, now is your chance to add "Bounty Hunter" to your list of skills on your resume.

Last year there were 1,093 data security breaches reported, a 40% increase over the prior year. Faced with an ever-growing cyber-security threat, companies have begun relying on Bug Bounty Programs to identify vulnerabilities. White Hat Hackers, who thrive on the thrill of the hunt, often moonlight as Bug Bounty Hunters. They spend their nights and weekends searching for super bugs and earn rewards from the companies they hack into once vulnerabilities are found. The bigger the bug, the larger the bounty.

HackerOne has amassed a community of top-tier IT security pros who are pre-screened and properly vetted before being cut loose into the Bug Bounty hub. Companies asking to be hacked provide security program protocols with instructions for hackers (also called Security Researchers or Finders) including targets and the rewards being offered. To date, the company has paid out more than $10 million (and counting) in bug bounties with fees ranging from $100 to $30,000.

In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Army launched its first ever bug bounty challenge in late 2016 in an effort to adopt the best practices used by top software companies. Open to private citizens, only 25 of the 371 participants were government employees. In total 416 reports were submitted and total bounties paid to Hackers to date are estimated to be around $100K.

Tech Industry Average Compensation (Hourly)

Ethical / White Hat Hacker

Experience Level: 5-7 Years (III)

National Average: $58.19/hour USD

Negotiate your bill rate the right way, every time, with this resource below:

Published: March 9, 2017

About PeopleTicker:

Our company was founded in 1998 with the advent of the vendor management process. Leading up to our launch, we published a procurement white paper for a major pharmaceutical company entitled "The People Blue Book" – a critical study that challenged the status quo in the staffing industry by comparing/analyzing the actual costs of a consultant with the markups applied by consulting firms, [...]
Read more...